Symphony to launch anniversary concert season

The Lewis and Clark Community College Jazz Band, directed by Tim Jarden, will join ASO for several selections featuring the music that welcomed the service men and women home after World War II.

GODFREY – The Alton Symphony Orchestra will begin their 70th anniversary concert season at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, with “Bach, Beethoven and the Big Band” at Hatheway Cultural Center on the campus of Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey.

The LCCC Jazz Band, directed by Tim Jarden, will join ASO for several selections featuring the music that welcomed the service men and women home after the war. The concert is a musical commemorative of the early ASO performances with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1, shared with big band music charts of the World War II era.

The VFW color guard will present the colors followed by the orchestra playing the national anthem to open the concert. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1 was performed during one of ASO early concerts. Maestro Williams wanted to recreate the feel of that time and perform selections from ASO’s earliest concerts.

“Maestro Shane Williams pays constant attention to details, assuring each concert to be an exciting event for all,” ASO president Jerre Honke said. “He is taking the community by storm and to his credit, the orchestra’s growth is at an all-time high. Maestro Williams has given ASO a new motto, ‘Making Music Come Alive for All.’”

“I want the audience to feel the passion and joy of making the music come alive, through each performance,” Williams said.

Season tickets are available by calling (618) 463-6933 or may be purchased at the door. Adult season tickets are $30; seniors 62 and over are $15. Single tickets for the Oct. 18 concert are $10 for adults and $5 for seniors. Tickets are available at Halpin Music or at the door. Children and Lewis and Clark students, faculty and staff are free.